SAN RAMON, Calif. — San Francisco State Head Men's Soccer Coach
Javier Ayala-Hil has been named the 2017 CCAA Men's Soccer Coach of the Year. Additionally, five SF State men's soccer players were named to the 2017 All-CCAA team, as voted on by the 13 head coaches of the conference.
Ranier Plantinos and
Aydan Bowers were named to the First Team.
Tariq Pulskamp was a Second Team selection.
Andy Altamirano and
Richard Leon both garnered Honorable Mention.
In just his second season at the helm of the Gators, Ayala-Hil has led the 2017 squad to a 12-4-2 mark. The Gators matched the program's best start in school history with a 5-0 start and, on the final day of the regular season, clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 1978. SF State won its quarterfinals match 1-0 at No. 13 UC San Diego and will face Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. in the CCAA Championships Semifinals match.
Plantinos has had a breakout senior season with his team-high 12 goals, which are second most in a single season in program history. The San Mateo, California native has appeared in all 18 of the Gators' matches, starting 17, and logging 1393 minutes. The forward scored a hat trick on Sept. 8 in a 4-3 non-conference win over Holy Names. Plantinos' .67 goals per game, 1.5 points per game, and total points are second most among CCAA players while his four game-winners are third-most among CCAA players. His dozen goals are second in the CCAA and 20th across all of NCAA Division II this season. He was named Gator of the Week three times.
Bowers has started 16 matches for the Gators and ranks third on the team with 1462 minutes played. The
Murrieta, California native tallied three goals and three assists. He scored two game-winners, in a 2-1 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay and with a header in a 1-0 victory over Sonoma State that secured the Gators' playoff berth.
Pulskamp, who had an assist in SF State's CCAA Quarterfinals matchup at UC San Diego, has started all 18 matches and leads the team with 1572 minutes. The Bakersfield, California native has also made an impact on the offensive end, where he's scored five times and made two assists. The junior defender's 12 points are third most for the Gators.
Altamirano, a Second Team selection last season, becomes a two-time All-CCAA selection with his senior campaign. He has appeared in all 18 matches for the Gators and has made 16 starts. He has dished out four assists in 1044 minutes of work.
Leon, last season's CCAA Freshman of the Year, has appeared in all 18 matches for the Gators and has started 17 of those contests. The midfielder from San Francisco has tallied six goals and three assists for 15 points, second-most among the team. His 1274 minutes are fourth on the team. His two game-winners came in non-conference action versus Saint Martin's and Dominican.
